


Lucid

by turnabout



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Biting, Bottom Hux, Elements of dub con, Hallucinations, Insomnia, M/M, Rimming, Rough Sex, Top Kylo Ren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-10 22:56:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7011622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turnabout/pseuds/turnabout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following Starkiller, Hux finds himself unable to sleep. When he does, he dreams of Kylo--in intimate detail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings at the bottom.

Hux, generally speaking, was not a big dreamer. 

He had dreams, but they were simply snippets of memory, distorted until they were new material. His mother’s smile. Snoke’s hand, clutching the arm of his throne. A wordless yell. 

But these were few and far between. They the night before a big event, or in the nights following his failures. 

After Starkiller, he dreamed of nothing but blood on snow. 

He paced the halls to avoid sleep. He drank caf until his nerves sung. Reports of fatalities began to blur together. The numbers on cost reports swam. Officers answered his questions and he would promptly forget what they had said. His crew would never dare to speak against him, but they had begun shooting one another looks.

 

It was a weakness, dodging bad dreams. 

 

Which was how he found himself in medical, allowing himself a brief look at Ren. 

They had him floating in a bacta tank, his hair swirling around him. His eyes were shut. It was the only time Hux had ever seen him serene, feeling no pain and being unmoved by emotion. 

Hux allowed himself to feel a brief pang of jealousy. 

“How long have you been awake for?” the doctor asked him. Hux sat on a chair and faced the indignity of letting someone shine a light in his eyes. 

“Fifty-seven hours.”

“Were you injured during the base collapse?”

“No.”

“No head trauma?”

“No.” 

“History of insomnia?” 

“Mild,” Hux said dismissively.

“In your family or yourself?”

“Myself.” 

“Are you under any stress?” As soon as the question left the doctor’s mouth, she winced. 

Hux let out a single, bark like laugh. “Just a bit.”

“Your hands are shaking.” 

“They do that.” 

“General, I want to keep you for observation.”

Hux resisted the urge to laugh again. Instead, he gestured to his surroundings. “On what bed?” 

People and droids whirled around them. The doctor sighed. “I’m issuing you medical leave.”

“I hardly think that’s necessary.”

“With all do respect, sir, without sleep your performance will—“

“—the only reason I’m here is because I’m concerned about my performance,” Hux cut in. He could feel a headache building behind his temple. 

He took a deep breath. The doctor was speaking to him. A steady stream of bubbles trailed up from Ren’s respirator, dissipating when they reached the top. If he turned his head oh so slightly, the light caught his cheekbones. And his scar. 

“I’ll take nine hours,” Hux said. “No more, no less. And I don’t want the reason for my medical leave listed anywhere officially.”

“Yes, sir,” the doctor agreed. 

Five minutes later, Hux was out the door with a bottle of small, blue pills. He didn’t glance back at the bacta tanks. He focused on keeping his feet in front of each other, ignored the black spots that swam in and out of his vision. 

When he reached his quarters, he dimmed the lights to five percent and stripped. He folded his clothes and left them in the laundry basket. In only his undershirt and briefs, he climbed into bed. 

He took one of the bitter pills. He stared up at the ceiling as he had been for the past three days—it was quickly becoming an old friend. He began counting his breaths. 

It took fifteen before his consciousness slipped away from him. His thoughts became muddled, as though he was overhearing a conversation from a distance. 

 

And then he jerked awake. 

 

“Kriff,” he muttered, running a hand over his face. He glanced over at his clock on his bedside table. The numbers swam before his eyes. 

After what must have been an hour, Hux grew fed up of waiting to fall asleep. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and pulled on a fresh uniform. He ran a comb through his hair and spread some product evenly through it. 

His reflection in the mirror was strange. His face had lost that sallow colouring, and his eyes seemed brighter. It could have been his face on the day he graduated from the academy. He wondered if this was his brain beginning to misfire. 

His perception of time was altered. A second later, he was in the hallway. He had forgotten the journey across the rest of his quarters. He lightly slapped his cheek. 

The hallways were all clear. He thought he saw troopers in the corner of his eye, but he never turned to look at them. He was sure he looked rung out, and he had no desire for his men to see him this way. 

The doors to medical were shut. Hux frowned and waited, as though they’d swing open any moment. It didn’t matter what shift it was, there was always doctors in medical. 

Something caught his eye—he glanced up. A flashing blue light. 

He ran through the codes and signals in his head, trying to recall what blue meant. Nothing came to mind. His stomach roiled and he swallowed back whatever was rising up in his esophagus. 

Hux punched in the override code to the doors. They retreated with a quiet hiss. 

Medical was just as it had been—well lit, running low on supplies, and with the coppery smell of blood and bacta in the air. 

Except Hux was alone. 

“Hello?” Hux called out, stepping in. His feet were the loudest sound in the room. A quiet dripping noise was the only other competitor. 

The beds were empty. So were the bacta tanks.

Hux felt his hackles rise. His heart was pounding. He turned towards the exit, only to find the doors had sealed themselves once more. With shaking fingers, he tried to input the override code. Repeatedly, it was rejected. 

There were no droids to assist him, nor any human doctors. Hux swallowed and pressed his back against the door. 

The dripping changed in frequency and tempo. It came from everywhere and nowhere, simultaneously. 

One step forward, if only to determine the source of the sound. Two. Three. 

His hackles were raised, and his hand rested on his blaster. 

“Identify yourself—that’s an order!” 

“Order?” replied a deep, baritone voice. Hux spun around, but he couldn’t identify the source. 

“Ren?” Hux’s head spun. “You shouldn’t be out of the bacta—“

There was a hand on his waist—heavy and broad. Lips pressed to the back of his neck. He felt the vibrations as the other person began to laugh. He couldn’t turn his head. It was as though all of the muscles in his body had seized at once. 

“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” replied the voice, husky and warm. A hand wrapped around him and rested on his chest. “No need to be so tense.”

“I can’t move,” Hux barked in response. 

The hands pulled away, and so did the mouth on his neck. Kylo stood in front of Hux. His hair was dripping with bacta, but Hux hadn’t felt any wetness. He shoved this fact to the side when he discovered he could move again. 

Kylo was shirtless. He wore slim pants, and Hux wondered if Kylo had made a droid get them for him. Under the harsh lighting Kylo seemed more defined, as though he existed in higher contrast the rest of the room. His face was different, too—not younger, like Hux’s had been, but unscarred. 

“Where’s everyone?” Hux asked. 

“You sent them away. Don’t you remember?”

“No, I…” Hux glanced around, looking for some sort of clue. The room seemed somehow wrong—as if something had been moved, but Hux couldn’t put his finger on what it was. When he gazed out the port, he couldn’t see any stars that would pinpoint their course. There was just the void, yawning on forever. It was chilling, and startlingly lonely. 

“This is a dream, isn’t it?” Hux asked. 

A coy smile curled on Kylo’s lips. Hux wondered how his subconscious conjured up something he’d never seen before. 

Hux reached forward, poking Kylo’s shoulder. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a dream this… detailed.” 

“You probably have.” 

“I have a good memory. I doubt it.” 

“Oh? Then how did you get here?”

“I—I must have…” Hux found his mind floundering. “Walked, I’m sure.” 

“You could have flown.”

“That’s far too fanciful for my subconscious.”

“Driven a speeder, skipped,” Kylo stepped closer to Hux, who remained in place. “Or maybe you just arrived?” 

“No, I believe I walked.”

“Did you see anyone in the hallways?”

“You’ve made your point,” Hux retorted. “So, what’s the symbolism here?”

“Symbolism?”

“My father’s second wife was very hung up on that sort of thing. All dreams have causes and meanings.” Hux glanced around medical. “Why are we in medical? Why am I talking to you?”

“You must have thought of me.” Kylo looked slightly displeased with the notion. “You should have left me to rest.”

“You’re not real, Ren.” 

Kylo shook his head in confusion. “I am.”

Hux scoffed. “This is my dream. You’re a projection of my mind.”

“Even in your subconscious you’re proprietary.”

“What a dull dream. The ship is empty and I’m arguing with you,” Hux sighed. “I’d like to fade to black, now.” 

“As would I.”

“Quite frankly Ren, what you think doesn’t matter at all, because you’re a figment of my imagination.”

Kylo stopped, staring intently at Hux. He chewed on his lower lip. Hux didn’t recognize that expression, but he knew the tilt of Kylo’s head. It was the sort of thing that came before Kylo made a scathing remark or stormed off—it was a consideration, debating which action to take. 

“Of course,” Kylo said. “What else could I be?” 

And then he pressed their foreheads together. Hux froze. Kylo was warm, and his breath ghosted against Hux’s lips. 

“I—“ Hux tried, but the words stopped before they could roll off his tongue. 

Kylo turned and began to walk away. The void beyond the port suddenly seemed gaping. 

Hux followed him, trying his best not to notice medical melting away around them. He focused on the broad, scarred back and the lovely dark hair, and let himself be lead somewhere forward. 

Snow. 

“Ren, stop,” Hux barked. 

Kylo turned back towards him, suddenly wearing his knightly ensemble. His cowl flapped loosely in the wind. Around them, the night was quiet. There was no blood on the snow. The trees were still, and bore no sign of damage. 

“I don’t want to be here,” Hux said. 

Kylo frowned. “You took us here.” 

“I did not—“

“—we’re in your head. I’d have taken us somewhere warm.” 

Hux watched as the edges of Starkiller melted away. The snow and pines gave way to a colourful, vaulted room. The details in the wall were carved in stone, and the pillows they rested on were silk. Something chimed, somewhere in the distance. 

The air was warm. Kylo was once again shirtless, and he kneeled on a lower platform than Hux. 

“Much better, wouldn’t you agree?” he asked, and Hux tensed as he felt a hand run up his thigh. 

Kylo regarded him with dark, wide eyes. He crawled up to Hux until he rested squarely in between Hux’s legs. Hands trailed up Hux’s torso, undoing the buttons on the front of his uniform. 

“What are you doing?” Hux asked. He wanted it to be a command, but it came out breathlessly. A familiar, long forgotten spark of arousal ran through him. 

“It’s your dream,” Kylo said. A challenge lingered just below the words. “You tell me.” 

Hux narrowed his eyes. “What makes you think I’m interested in you sexually?”

“You’re hard.”

“That’s a natural reaction.”

“What’s unnatural about this?” 

“That you’re on your knees for me.”

“Would you rather it be Snoke?”

“I’d rather it be a beautiful nobody.”

Kylo sneered. “You’ll have to make do with me.” 

Hux didn’t reply. He cupped Kylo’s face with one hand and peered down at him, trying to assess the other man’s intentions. Kylo shut his eyes for a beat longer than a standard blink; Hux drew his hand back. 

“Get to it, then.” 

Kylo undid the zipper of Hux’s pants using teeth alone, and Hux felt warm lips press against his lower abdomen. His cock had long ago sprung to life, but it fell forward now, pink tipped and flushed. Hux felt a similar heat crawl onto his cheeks, and Kylo wrapped his lips around the head, tentative and slow. 

And then Hux felt Kylo’s tongue flick. A moment later, Kylo sank down on his cock, and Hux’s breath hitched. Kylo’s mouth was wet and hot. He slid up and down and all Hux could compare the sensation to was velvet. 

Kylo wrapped a hand around the base of Hux’s cock and worked in tandem with his mouth, and Hux allowed himself a quiet groan. One of his hands gripped the pillow next to him. The other wound its way into Kylo’s hair. 

Hux decided it was so soft because he was dreaming. He was sure Kylo’s hair was normally a tangled beast, but in his mind, he made it smooth and well groomed. 

“Good to know you can do more with your tongue than be insubordinate,” Hux said, and Kylo pulled off of him. 

His lips were red and wet, and Hux struggled to find a word for them. He leaned down to kiss Kylo and settled on nectarous. Kylo pulling away was a small tragedy. 

Kylo’s hand continued to work his cock at an agonizingly slow rate. “Hard to be insubordinate to someone who isn’t your superior.” 

“Who’s sex dream is this? Quit talking and get back to it—“

“—I’m surprised I haven’t turned into a beautiful nobody yet,” Kylo snarled, but before Hux could retort, Kylo went back down on him. 

And oh, that was a much better use for that mouth. Only in Hux’s dreams could anyone be this talented, particularly Kylo. The real Lord Ren would be all teeth and gagging, Hux was sure, but this one knew all the uses for his fingers and his tongue. 

As nice as it was to see that dark head bob, Hux felt the sudden urge to look at the man below him. He pushed Kylo’s hair back from his face and gazed down at him. 

It was for the power rush, he assured himself. 

Kylo tilted his head back as much as he could, his eyes meeting Hux’s. Something stuck in Hux’s throat, and then he felt the direction Kylo’s fingers were heading. One traced around his hole and he bit his lower lip. A moment later it slipped inside him and Hux moaned. 

Kylo’s finger found Hux’s sweet spot with an unnatural ease, and Hux found his hips thrusting forward into Kylo’s mouth. Kylo gagged briefly, but then Hux found himself on his back. 

The force, his mind provided. Even in his dreams, Kylo was some ridiculous wizard figure. 

He felt the pleasant hum of Kylo’s laugh, and he felt every nerve in his body vibrate. He grabbed Kylo’s hair with both hands, gripping tight for his life. Kylo’s hum continued, and so did the smooth movement of his hand. As soon as Hux felt empty, Kylo’s finger was back inside of him. 

Hux was beginning to see stars around the edge of his vision. Had he been awake, he would have informed his bed partner so that they could avoid him coming on them. But this was Kylo, and this was a dream. 

He felt that distinct, hot spike of pleasure, and Kylo gripped Hux’s hip tightly, keeping him in place. He came with an embarrassingly wanton moan. 

Hux sat up, found there was no dark hair in his hands. No broad back underneath him. Nothing but his high thread count sheets and a sticky mess. 

He ran a hand over his face. His alarm beeped pleasantly to inform him he ought to be getting up. His heart pounded frantically in his chest. 

Hux stripped his bed of the offending sheets and blasted himself in a sonic shower. He ignored the memory of phantom hands trailing down his waist, and the hot mouth that knew exactly what to do. 

He resolved to changing his prescription, and decided that was that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings at bottom.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” Hux stated. This time, he allowed himself to pinch the bridge of his nose. It was indulgent, but the majority of people in medical were unconscious. In front of him, Kylo floated, looking for all the world undisturbed. 

“We don’t have any other sleeping medication, sir. On our most recent supplies mission, it was deemed low priority.” The doctor looked apologetic. 

This made little difference to Hux. “Do you have anything to deal with the side effects?”

The medical officer nodded. “We have medications for dry mouth, dizziness, lingering fatigue…”

Hux shook his head. “Vivid dreams.” 

“Nightmares, sir?”

“Of the sort,” he said. 

“No, sir. Nothing to help with that.” 

The pounding headache was back with a vengeance. 

“Very well. Good day.”

“Wait, sir—did you want an update on Kylo Ren?”

“What, is he getting pruney?” Hux raised an eyebrow. “Let me know if he’s brain dead or dying. Other than that, I’m indifferent.” 

 

He didn’t experience any of the listed side effects the doctor had listed. That didn’t mean the blue pills weren’t at fault, of course. The only other time Hux had experienced dreams this detailed had been the one occasion he’d tried spice, which he had regretted deeply. 

Hux had been chasing this line of thought when it happened. He stood at parade rest on the command deck, watching his officers working. Deep space stretched out in front of him, but it no longer seemed welcoming. That was when the back of his neck prickled. 

He turned, the name Ren half formed on his lips. 

But there was no one there. 

An officer glanced at him, but as soon as Hux looked in their direction, they focused once again on the screen in front of them. 

Hux pulled up the security feed to medical, to dissipate his paranoia. Kylo remained floating, oblivious to the the goings on around him. The wound on his side was stitching itself together, but there were places Hux could make out exposed muscle sinew. 

 

Hux retired at his usual hour. All evidence of last night’s embarrassment had been whisked away—new sheets had been put on his bed by a hospitality droid. The dreaded blue pills sat on his bed side table in their neat little container, along with a glass of water. 

He tried his best not to look at them as he brushed his teeth, or as he washed his face. He smoothed his hair down and tried to convince himself the pills were unnecessary. 

After forty-five minutes of lying perfectly still in bed, he admitted defeat. 

They were less bitter this time.

A hand settled around his neck. It was warm and pressed with just the right amount of pressure. He would have opened his eyes, but there was another hand over his eyes. 

On either side of his hips were knees, so Hux could only imagine the figure that was hulking over him. 

He used his right hand to grab the other man’s neck, but the figure didn’t shift. 

“Do your worst,” a low voice said. 

“I just might,” Hux replied weakly. The pressure on his neck tightened, and for a moment, no air got through. After a beat, it lessened again. 

The hand over his eyes drew back, and there was Kylo—somber faced and scarred, staring down at him with an infuriatingly pleased expression. Kylo withdrew his hand from Hux’s neck, but kept two fingers over Hux’s pulse. 

“What, no chase through the ship this time?” Hux asked. 

Kylo shrugged and ducked his head, pressing his lips against Hux’s neck. “Your subconscious, not mine,” he muttered, and then bit down lightly. Hux hissed and tried to sit up, but Kylo shifted his weight to keep Hux pinned in place. Hux shivered when he felt a tongue run over the new skin. 

“What does it say about me that I’m having these dreams?”

Kylo pulled back to stare at Hux. “Do you not want this?” 

“I do, unfortunately.” 

“Did you not come, last time?” 

“Yes.” 

“You left without returning the favor.”

“You’re not real,” Hux reminded him. “You’re a projection of my subconscious. The real Kylo Ren is floating in a bacta tank and not getting any pleasure out of this.” 

“If you’re this unhappy, I’m sure he’s getting some pleasure out of it.” 

“You’re probably right,” Hux said, sitting up. He stared hard at the look alike Kylo, and then reached forward to trace the newest addition to Kylo’s face. Kylo pulled away. 

“Are you consenting?”

Hux sighed and then leaned forward, biting down on Kylo’s lower lip. His nerves tingled as Kylo ran his fingers through Hux’s hair and pulled him back, hard. Kylo’s mouth was an inch above his, waiting expectantly. 

Hux groaned. “Do I really have to say it?”

“Yes.”

“Then yes.”

Their teeth bumped. Kylo mapped out the inside of Hux’s mouth as though it had some strategic meaning. He tasted like blood and bacta. Kylo reached into Hux’s briefs, his fingers fumbling blindly. 

Hux felt his breath hitch. He tugged at Kylo’s pants impatiently, and Kylo’s hand left Hux’s cock to take them off. The movement was awkward because Kylo refused to stand or stop kissing Hux, and Hux had to stamp down on the flutter of endearment that suddenly rose in his chest. 

As soon as the movement was done, Kylo’s hand returned to Hux’s groin. Hux pulled back from the kiss to look. Kylo made a noise of complaint, trying to follow Hux’s moving head. Hux put a hand on Kylo’s shoulder, holding him at a distance. 

His subconscious painted a flattering picture of Kylo for him. Broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with fine lines of muscles visible in certain places. A line of dark hair began just below his belly button and trailed down to his groin. 

“My mind flatters you,” Hux said, giving Kylo’s cock a light tug. 

“Your mind is accurate.” 

“With all those layers? I’m sure the real Ren is hiding inadequacies—“

Hux was cut off by Kylo pulling him onto Kylo’s lap. He grunted in surprise, his hands resting on broad shoulders. Kylo’s nose brushed against his. Their cocks rubbed together, and Hux felt his face light up at the sudden intimacy of it all. 

“Is this adequate, General?”

“Barely.” 

Hux ducked down to kiss Kylo’s neck. He began as he always had with previous lovers—deceptively sweet. By the time he reached Kylo’s collar bone, more teeth were involved than his lips. Kylo bucked his hips against Hux’s, and Hux felt something hot coil in his gut. 

Hux leaned back to pull off his briefs, and Kylo chuckled. 

“Regulation?” 

“I’m sorry, were you expecting something lacy?” 

Kylo shoved Hux off of him and flipped Hux onto his stomach. 

A hot mouth kissed his lower back. It was too gentle, too affectionate. The feeling of the mattress against his cock wasn’t as good as Kylo’s hand, but the friction just enough to keep him on edge. 

To say he wasn’t expecting Kylo’s tongue on his hole was an understatement. He jerked away, letting out a grunt of surprise. Once again, Kylo pressed Hux down into the bed. Hux hissed at the teeth that nipped at his inner thigh, and then forced himself to take a deep breath. 

“Do you want me to stop?” Kylo asked, forever insecure, even in Hux’s fantasies. 

“Don’t you dare,” Hux said, and Kylo’s mouth returned. 

Every nerve in his body was on fire. The hand on his back was the only thing that seemed real, pressing him firmly into the sheets. 

Kylo flicked his tongue perfectly, and Hux grasped the sheets. He felt the room spin around them, but screwed his eyes shut. Once the scene settled again, he opened them. 

They were somewhere well padded, with stretched canvas for walls. Faintly, Hux could hear wildlife just beyond the fabric room. A tent, he realized belatedly. 

The ceiling was low--both he and Kylo would have had to crouch to get in. 

Kylo pulled back from Hux’s ass, glancing around at their new setting. “Hardly luxurious.”

“It’s an academy tent.” 

“Why are we here?”

“I lost my virginity in a tent like this.” Hux frowned. “Probably this tent, actually.” 

“Romantic,” Kylo said dryly. Before Hux could reply, he found Kylo’s hands on his hips once more. “Turn over.” 

“Why?”

“I want to see your face.” 

Hux hated how much he liked that voice—unfiltered, it was impossibly smooth and melodious. If Hux had a voice like that, he would have used it to sway millions. Kylo used it to preach half baked philosophy and make weak threats, speaking in an odd, stilted way, pausing in strange places. 

Hux flipped over. He shot Kylo an even look. “Ren, don’t make this intimate.”

“It’s sex.”

“Exactly.” 

Kylo huffed a sigh, leaning forward. He offered Hux his fingers. “Suck.”

Hux opened his mouth and accepted two fingers. He wrapped his tongue around them and took them as deep into his throat as they’d go. Kylo’s eyes focused keenly on his mouth, lidded and dark. Hux watched Kylo’s chest, watched the way Kylo’s breath hitched when Hux increased the pressure just so.

After what must have been a small eternity, Kylo pulled his fingers out of Hux’s mouth with a satisfying pop. He worked one inside of Hux. To Hux’s surprise, there was no burn, and then he recalled that this was his dream, not reality. 

Kylo was good with his fingers. He knew just where to crook them, although he moved agonizingly slowly. The second slipped in just as easily, and Hux writhed as they opened him up. It was unnecessary—the regular rules of anatomy didn’t apply here, and yet Kylo took his time. 

From some unseen place, Kylo rubbed oil down his length. He pulled his fingers out and Hux immediately felt empty. 

A moment later, Kylo lined his hips up with Hux’s, and Hux felt the beginning of good stretch. Kylo moved agonizingly slow to the point that Hux began counting the inches. After he reached three, he pulled himself down. 

Kylo let out a startled groan, and Hux reached up to grab Kylo by the hair, pulling him down. Kylo was properly on top of him, breathing heavily in his ear. 

“Hard and rough,” he demanded, and Kylo began setting a brutal pace. 

It was much easier this way, Hux staring down the expanse of Kylo’s back. During the moments his eyes were open, he found himself trying to see patterns in the freckles.

“Is that how he did it?”

“He?” Hux asked. It came out as a whine, and Hux hated himself.

“The boy you lost your virginity to.”

“None of your damn business.” 

Hux debated stopping, cutting off whatever sentiment this fictional version of Kylo was forming. But then Kylo lined himself up just right, and Hux couldn’t help but dig his nails in. 

Kylo grunted in his ear, which was slightly off-putting. A minute later, he bit into the intersection of Hux’s shoulder and neck to muffle the noise. 

Hux yelped in surprise at the pain. Kylo pulled back, his lips redder than they had been. Hux touched his neck and his hand came away sticky with blood. 

“What makes you think you can mark me?” 

“I thought you wanted it rough, General?” 

Hux didn’t dignify that with a response. 

In reality, that would have been the end of whatever interaction they were having. In Hux’s mind, Kylo dipped his head to press a soft kiss to the underside of Hux’s jaw. 

“Is this what you prefer?” Kylo returned to a more leisurely pace. He pressed his lips to Hux’s collarbone, sweetly. 

“No.” 

But Kylo continued. He reached between them and began to stroke Hux’s aching cock. Hux tried to bite back a sob of relief, but found it escaped in a whimper when Kylo kissed Hux’s lips. He raked Kylo’s back, trying to urge him back to his previous pace, but it was to no avail. Kylo muscles tensed around him and Kylo pushed in for one final time before a needy moan escaped his mouth. 

Hux felt something warm drip down his thighs. This was the moment his traitorous body decided it was time to come, and Hux found himself gripping onto Kylo’s shoulders. 

And then he woke up. 

His sheets, once again, were a mess. His hair was more mused than it had been in years. He felt achingly empty, and his legs were weak. His neck stung. Bleary-eyed, he turned off his blaring alarm and staggered into his fresher. 

He spent a minute splashing water onto his face. He didn’t want to look at himself in the mirror, but eventually he had no choice. 

His lips were swollen, and he realized belatedly that he must have bit them, 

It was likely the most mortifying experience he’d ever had, and he thanked whatever deity was interested that no one else knew about it. 

 

After his shift finished, he spent a grueling hour in the gym. Every muscle in his body ached, and he was sure he’d fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. He forwent the blue pills. 

A second after he closed his eyes, Kylo’s lips were on his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: unreality, not much distinction between dreaming and sleeping.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings at the end of the chapter.

Hux was being haunted by a man who was still alive. 

As he walked the hallways of the Finalizer, he had the distinct impression there was someone striding alongside him. After the first time, he didn’t glance at it to acknowledge it. He wondered if he was going insane. 

There was a port in his office that looked out into space, and Hux felt listless as he watched them drift on. They had no missions except for Kylo’s delivery, and that was dependent on his recovery. 

If Kylo died, so did Hux. 

He detested the idea of his own execution. Before that would happen, he would order a mandatory evacuation of the Finalizer on a nearby planet, and then he’d scuttle it himself.

“Awfully melodramatic,” Kylo said. 

“Who are you to accuse me of being melodramatic?”

“An expert in the art of it.”

Hux turned, frowning. “Did I fall asleep at my desk?”

“You must have.” Kylo put a hand on Hux’s neck, standing next to him. “I didn’t see you last night.”

“Forgive me for wanting to avoid waking up sticky and alone.” 

“It’s your fault for not getting laid in so long.” Kylo rested his chin on Hux’s shoulder. Kylo paused, breathing in Hux’s cologne. “Would it be more or less embarrassing if it was someone else you dreamed about?”

Hux felt himself tense against the affection. “I don’t know. It’s…less attainable in reality, with the real Ren.” 

Kylo mumbled something into Hux’s neck, and then he was kissing it. “You don’t like tenderness.” 

“It’s unsustainable.”

“And passion isn’t?” 

“Passionate beginnings beget passionate endings, at least.” Hux debated pushing Kylo off, but then the lips on his neck pulled back to reveal teeth. He relaxed when he felt the light bites. 

“If I was your lover,” Kylo muttered in Hux’s ear, reaching into Hux’s trousers and palming his cock, “I’d make it unbearably sweet, just to torture you.” 

“You—ah—already torture me,” Hux said, catching a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the port. Kylo’s hand worked his cock quickly and expertly. “With personality alone.” 

Kylo huffed into Hux’s skin. He unzipped Hux’s uniform shirt and then worked the buttons. Once he had the smooth expanse of Hux’s skin available to him, Kylo tweaked one of Hux’s nipples. “Congratulations on your endurance.” 

Hux sighed, and then there were fingers in his mouth. He could feel Kylo’s length brush against his ass, and Hux felt a shudder of pleasure run through him. He watched his own reflection—his hair was in a disarray and his chest was flushed. 

Kylo’s eyes were on his, dark and focused. He raised his lips to Hux’s ear once more. “You look debauched.” 

“Whose fault is that?” Hux asked, once the fingers left his mouth. His saliva trailed after them, some of it dripping on Hux’s lower lip. 

“Not complaining,” Kylo said. “I appreciate the contrast.” 

Hux’s breath caught in his throat as the wet fingers circled his entrance, and he bit his lip. Kylo paused. 

“I want to hear you.”

“I don’t want to moan in my sleep,” Hux hissed. “I’m in my office. What if someone—“

“—they’re taken care of,” Kylo said quickly, and then he slipped one finger in Hux. Kylo was two joints deep when Hux leaned forward to rest his head on the port. 

“Taken care of?” the transparisteel was blessedly cool on his hot skin. He gasped as Kylo slid the finger in and out, crooking it just right enough to make Hux’s knees buckle. Kylo wrapped an arm around Hux’s torso, holding him up. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Kylo said, ravishing Hux’s neck. “No one else will get to see you this way.” 

“Careful, Ren.” 

Kylo ignored this remark and worked in another finger. It burned in way that made Hux open his legs further, and he felt as though he was on the verge of passing out. The pace was perfect, prying him open roughly and quickly. Hux’s moan echoed throughout the room before he bit it back, much to Kylo’s dismay. 

“Chair,” Hux pleaded, and he found Kylo’s fingers leaving him. 

Kylo sat down on the chair and pulled his cock out, and Hux bent down to lick a stripe up it. Then he pulled both his pants and his briefs off and stared at Kylo, trying to decide which way to face. 

Kylo reached forward and dug his fingers into Hux’s hips, pulling him forward. Hux opted to face Kylo, awkwardly kneeling around Kylo’s legs and then lowering himself down. 

Hux felt unbalanced as he focused solely on the tip of Kylo’s cock, which breached him slowly. A hand pressed into Hux’s back, pulling him closer to Kylo. Another hand gripped his hip tightly, and Hux hissed at the pressure. 

There were lips on his neck. Kylo kissed Hux’s Adam’s apple, the skin under his jaw, Hux’s jugular. And oh, that was dangerous. Hux sank down until he was seated, and this time the noise that escaped his mouth was guttural and low. 

Kylo bucked his hips up, and Hux shut his eyes in pleasure. “Ren,” he whispered. 

“Yes?”

Hux hadn’t meant it as a question. He threaded a hand through Kylo’s hair and pulled, exposing the line of Kylo’s neck. He traced it with a finger and made it his focus, second only to the large pressure inside of him. 

Up, down. Hux watched Kylo’s pulse thrum below his skin. He pressed a kiss to it, feeling it flutter. Kylo breathed heavily, and Hux panted in response. 

Hux debated his course of action. A thrust that hit just the right spot made him gasp, and he brought down his teeth on Kylo’s neck. 

“What—gives you—permission—to mark me?” Kylo paraphrased, but he pulled Hux’s head closer, patting his hair. 

“Rank,” Hux replied gravelly. He’d drawn tiny pinpricks of blood, which he licked away. And then he sucked. 

“Would you—want—other people—to see it? Your—officers—“

“—yes.”

Kylo inhaled sharply. His muscles coiled and then sprung, and Hux felt the jump in Kylo’s pulse as he came. With a few tugs on Hux’s cock, Hux was quick to follow. 

He didn’t wake up immediately, although he felt the tug. His office began to melt away around him. Hux kissed Kylo goodbye, something aching in his chest. 

He was face down on the hard metal. It was cold, but he still felt tendrils of heat cling to him. Invisible hands drifted off his skin, and they felt startlingly real.

The front of his uniform pants was wet, and Hux reached for a nearby tissue, wiping himself down in disgust. 

He hadn’t even taken a blue pill—the few hours of sleep the night before had caused this. No drugs were to blame. This was all the workings of his subconscious mind, and he had run out of excuses to justify his dreams. 

Hux was attracted to Kylo. Melodramatic, violent and antagonistic Kylo Ren. He may even have developed a predilection towards the man. 

He massaged his temples. 

His data pad, which had been knocked to the ground during Hux’s sleep, dinged. Hux frowned down at it, and picked it up. 

Mitaka had sent him a message labelled urgent. 

Hux smoothed back his hair as he read the message. 

General,

Medical officers have reached out to me out of concern for Lord Ren. They say that the matter is urgent, but not life or death, so they did not wish to contact you directly. 

I apologize for interrupting your ‘Do Not Disturb’ order.

Sincerely,

Lt. Mitaka

Hux’s frown deepened into a scowl, and he checked his personal status. It was listed as ‘Do Not Disturb’ but he had no memory of setting it that way. He recalled Kylo’s assurances that they would be uninterrupted, which he had dismissed as his subconscious placating him. 

Now he was not so sure. 

 

After stopping by his quarters to change his briefs and pants, he headed down to medical, his overcoat draped over his shoulders. He walked with purpose and with a dark expression on his face, and people parted for him doubly as quick. 

He was beginning to suspect a conspiracy against him, and that always put him in a foul mood. The last one had ended with three executions and an audit, and he loathed audits. 

He found Kylo still floating in bacta, unconscious and indifferent. Hux crossed his arms over his chest, waiting expectantly to be told whatever was wrong with Kylo. 

A doctor rushed up to him, relief painted on her face. “Sir, I’m glad you’re here.” 

Hux didn’t bother replying. He waited patiently for an explanation, instead. 

“Lord Ren remains stable, but we have some concerns.”

“If it’s about the scar, I’m sure he’ll fancy it,” Hux replied. He stepped closer to the bacta tank. Kylo’s bubbles masked most of his face, but from what Hux could see of his expression, he seemed at peace. 

“No, sir. It would seem Lord Ren is sustaining more injuries, and we aren’t sure how.”

“What injuries?” He stepped closer to the bacta tank, and felt his stomach drop. 

“Yesterday, he had scratches on his back. We thought they might be consistent with an animal, but they healed before we could identify them. Can you see the bite mark on his neck, sir?”

“Yes,” Hux said. He tried to swallow and discovered he no longer had any saliva. 

“It appeared an hour ago, without any apparent cause. I have security footage to prove it, sir.” 

“Show me.” 

A data pad was held up for Hux, and he resisted the urge to tug at his collar. The security feed showed the bite mark appearing, and Kylo’s reaction. His face curled in pain, briefly, and then softened into something closer to pleasure. Kylo’s fingers twitched. 

“We don’t understand his reactions, sir.”

“He’s dreaming,” Hux said. His heart was hammering. “If the wound appeared an hour ago, shouldn’t the bacta have healed it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you come up with any explanations for this?” 

“No, sir.” The doctor paused. “Uh, perhaps the Force, sir?”

Hux chewed on the inside of his cheek until he tasted copper. “Is he still in critical condition?”

“No, sir.”

“Take him out.”

“Sir?”

“Remove Ren from the bacta.”

“Sir, if he wakes up he—“

“—that’s an order.” 

“Yes, sir.” The doctor looked pale. “Should I inform you when he wakes?”

Hux shook his head dismissively. “Just send me the damage report.”

 

Hux turned off his data pad for the first time in twenty- two days and indulged in a single drink. He sat alone in the officer’s lounge, and forced himself to evaluate his situation. 

Kylo Ren was alive. Thriving, even. Hux’s chances of being executed had decreased from eighty-five percent to twenty-nine. 

Kylo had spent time in his subconscious. To what end? To embarrass him? Because Kylo was bored? And why had he deceived Hux? Come to think of it, why had he cleared the hallway around Hux’s office during their last encounter? Having Hux be discovered would be much more fulfilling, surely. 

In a moment of true weakness, he allowed himself a second drink. 

The officer’s lounge had been empty since they had evacuated Starkiller. There was too much to be done, too few hands on deck. Hux convinced himself he would have not allowed Kylo to invade his mind if he had been more present and sleeping better. Not dreaming of blood on snow. 

A third drink. This time, he made himself stop thinking. 

 

He had imagined there would be damage in his quarters—signs Kylo had flown off the handle when Hux refused to see him. Blood, gouges in the wall, the singed electric scent of damaged panels. But Hux found his quarters were as neat as he had left them. 

Kylo lay face down on his bed, still. 

Hux found Kylo’s pulse. It thrummed warmly under Hux’s fingers, every bit as alive as the man beneath him. 

Kylo stirred, but didn’t wake. He muttered something that Hux’s bed muffled. He readjusted, grunted, and buried his face in Hux’s pillow. Hux watched the rise and fall of his back, broad and bandaged, hidden under a thin shirt from medical. 

Hux could just make out the scar on Kylo’s face, and he traced it with his finger. It looked tender and pink, and Hux could feel the places the skin was beginning to thicken. He debated hitting Kylo. Strangling him. It wouldn’t take much to kill him—in his weakened state, only a few moments would do it. 

His hair fell over his face, dark and thick, still damp in places. Hux considered tucking it behind Kylo’s ear. Considered kissing his temple. But the gesture carried with it the unfortunate association of forgiveness, so he did not.

Hux laid down next to Kylo and shut his eyes. 

Kylo shifted his weight, and Hux felt a warm, heavy hand settle over his wrist. Kylo’s exhales stirred Hux’s hair, and he found something unsettlingly pleasant making a home in his chest. 

“You know this means nothing, right?” Hux found himself asking the darkness. 

“I know.”

“You have no right to be in my head, or sneaking into my quarters.”

There was a long pause, and then Kylo shifted closer. “I didn’t sneak.” 

“Why are you here, Ren?”

“You called.” 

Hux rolled onto to his side and opened his eyes, staring at Kylo. 

“You were looking for me. I heard you. So I came.”

“A few times, evidently.”

“Less than you.”

“Stay out of my head.”

“Can I stay in your quarters?” Hux hated looking at Kylo without the mask. His eyes seemed to absorb the surrounding light, and his lips were so full. The scar had left them unmarred.

“Only for tonight.”

“Of course.”

“Don’t grow attached.”

“Never,” Kylo said, and Hux could taste the lie in his kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: elements of unreality, poor distinction between reality and dream. Some gaslighting, with Kylo having lied to Hux about him being real, making Hux's consent sort of a grey area. 
> 
> Final note: thank you so much for reading, and all of your lovely encouragement. I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings: Elements of unreality--Hux isn't aware he's dreaming initially.


End file.
